DIY Farmhouse Tea Towel Ladder for the Kitchen
DIY Farmhouse Tea Towel Ladder
When we purchased this home one of my must haves was lots and lots of electrical plug ins in the kitchen throughout our home actually. Our kitchen has two plug ins on each section of counter, yeah for me. But, have you ever tried to create a pretty kitchen vignette with an electrical socket in the background? I know its a first world problem, but you can only use a chopping board backdrop so many times before it gets boring. This little DIY tea towel ladder is my solution.
I had it cut out and was screwing it together when Hubs decided to build it for me. He put it together in like ten minutes, and it only cost $3 if you need to purchase supplies. We had the stuff kicking around which made it free.
You need 1 – 1″ by 2″ piece of lumber, or scrap lumber
4 – L brackets, these are dollar store cheapos. You can use even smaller ones if you have some on hand. I like the L brackets because the kitchen towels hide then, and you don’t have to fiddle with covering up the screws on the side. So easy and worth it to me.
Sandpaper – 120 and 220 grit
Measurements
I wanted to make sure my little kitchen towel ladder fit between our cupboards and was tall enough to cover the plug ins. I chose 8″ inches for width to use up minimal counter space. After deciding all that, I cut the 1 by 2″ lumber as follow:.
Two pieces 15 inches long for the legs, with a 22 degree angle cut at the bottom. So the ladder leans towards the wall a little bit.
Two pieces 8 inches long for the rungs.
Placement of the rungs is a personal preference, I chose to have the top rung hang 2 inches from the top, and the bottom rung 8 inches from the top.
I used those measurements to mark the placement on both uprights legs with a pencil.
Building the DIY Wooden Mini Ladder
Hubs started by adding the L brackets to the middle of each rung, making sure that the corner lined up with the end of the wood.
Hubs then predrilled the wood a little bit (dollar store screws were cheap and wouldn’t work without predrilling). before screwing the L brackets to the rungs.
He then lined up the bottom of the rung to the pencil markings and attached the first side of the rung to the leg.
For the second side he did the same thing, but double checked it with a level before drilling and adding the screws.
It was really easy to put together, if your a learner like me just measure two or three or four times to make sure the rungs are placed the same distance from the top on both sides. Its definitely a case of a measuring tape being your friend.
To finish the ladder I sanded it with 120 grit paper first and then finished it with 220 grit sand paper.
Finishing the DIY Tea Towel Ladder
My first instinct was to paint it white, but I decided to leave it natural wood colour, at least for now. I figured the clear wood would go with any colour vignette I decided to use it in. Besides you know a coat of paint is quick and easy. It was given one quick coat of Varathane, and I let it dry overnight before using it.
I am the first to admit that I am learning to craft things with wood. I am taking it a bit at a time and am really loving it. Here is another easy wood working project I had fun putting together.
This ladder is so cute! I would add one to my house to hang towels or to serve as a decorative ladder.
That’s the most adorable idea EVER Leanna and such a neat way to hide all the outlets too. We had the builder do the same in our holiday home, so there are outlets everywhere 😀 It’s very useful but not so pretty so I’ll be stealing your idea. Thanks a mil. Love it!!
Aww, what a unique and clever idea. I love it.
I never thought of making a small decorative ladder like this. It is adorable.
This ladder is so cool! Perfect for displaying a cute towel, or even a small wall hanging. Love it.
Thank you Alexandra. I want to make another one to hang a little farmhouse sign from in our bathroom. Thankfully they don’t take long so I should get around to it.